Sabtu, 01 Oktober 2016

Do We REALLY Want the Truth?

Do We REALLY Want the Truth?

If our kids think the truth is relative…what does that say about our generation?

In 1992 Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson gave incredible performances in the riveting movie A Few Good Men. In
their memorable exchange, Nicholson’s character, Col. Nathan Jessup,
barked out a line so profound that it made it into the AFI’s list of the
100 best movie quotes:Col. Jessep: You want answers?Kaffee: I think I’m entitled to.Col. Jessep: You want answers?Kaffee: I want the truth!Col. Jessep: You can’t handle the truth!
Truth.
That word has metamorphosized quite a bit over the last two decades. The
word is probably on the endangered species list, at least in the
definition we once knew. Today’s young people aren’t very concerned
about ‘truth,’ they’re more interested in ‘what works’ for them.
I wonder what that scene in A Few Good Men would look like in today’s world, just 24 years later, with a Millennial interviewing a Boomer?Col. Jessep: You want answers?Kaffee: I think I’m entitled to them. Of course, I’m
entitled to a lot. I should actually be General by now and you should
be listening to me.Col. Jessep: Well, you aren’t. So do you still want answers?Kaffee: Not really. But you can share what you find to be true, whatever feels right for you at the moment.Col. Jessep: This is going to be easier than I thought!
OK, maybe it wouldn’t have gone down exactly like that, but my point
remains. Today, young people are defining their own truth. Truth isn’t
an absolute, it’s whatever truth is to you!
It’s a convenient morality if you think about it. It allows for quite
a lot. And it’s not pestered by that irritating notion of right and
wrong. But is this really a surprise, in a world where almost every
three-year-old in American can sing every word to a song saying …It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me I’m free!
Let it go, let it go …
(Oh snap! I just dissed the world’s favorite movie! I’m sure to get complaints now!)
Don’t worry. I’m not turning fanatical on you. I’m not going to ask
you to stop using a certain hairspray because the company supports a
cause I don’t agree with. I simply want us to pause and think about what
our kids are gleaning from this culture hook, line and sinker. We’re
raising a generation who is learning to make decisions based on a moral
code of “what’s right for me.”
I don’t know if you saw the new research from The Barna Group
revealing three-quarters of Millennials (74 percent) agree with the
statement, “Whatever is right for your life or works best for you is the
only truth you can know,” compared to only 38 percent of the generation
of Elders (the Millennials grandparents).
How’s that for a change in morality over generations?
Truth is no longer an absolute.
Truth is no longer something found in a book.
Please understand. This isn’t meant as a criticism of “kids these
days.” It’s actually a criticism of us—the adults who have raised them
like this. One way or another we have allowed our kids to adopt a very
convenient morality: Do what feels right in the moment. Go with your gut. No one can tell you what’s right for you.
How do you think young people would respond today if they had a face-to-face encounter with Jesus, and he told them:“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” (John 14:6-7, NLT)
Hmmmmmm. This article originally appeared here.Jonathan McKee is the president of The Source for Youth Ministry, is the author of over a dozen books including the new Get Your Teenager Talking, The Guy’s Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket, The Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide for Teenager, and youth ministry books like Ministry By Teenagers, Connect: Real Relationships in a World of Isolation, and the 10-Minute Talks series. Jonathan speaks and trains
at conferences, churches and events across North America, all while
providing free resources for youth workers and parents on his websites, TheSource4YM.com and TheSource4Parents.com. You can follow Jonathan on his blog,
getting a regular dose of youth culture and parenting help. Jonathan
and his wife, Lori, and their three teenagers, Alec, Alyssa and Ashley,
live in California.

Jonathan McKee

Jonathan McKee is the author of 20 books including the
brand new 52 Ways to Connect with Your Smartphone Obsessed Kid, More
Than Just the Talk, Sex Matters, Connect, the 10-Minute Talks series,
The Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide for Teenagers and The Guy's Guide
to God, Girls, and the Phone in Your Pocket. Jonathan speaks to parents
and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources on
TheSource4YM.com and TheSource4Parents.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori and
his three kids live in Northern California.
JonathanMcKeeWrites.com / Twitter.com/InJonathansHead (see links at
bottom of post)